Scottish Executive

Autism

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken to ensure that all relevant agencies work together to develop a post-school learning system that offers continuity, coherence and clear routes of progression for sufferers of autism and Asperger’s syndrome as recommended in the Beattie Report Implementing Inclusiveness Realising Potential .

Iain Gray: The Beattie Report recommendation referred to did not focus specifically on people with autism and Asperger’s syndrome. The Beattie Recommendations are for the benefit of all young people with additional support needs which may include young people with autism and Asperger’s syndrome.

  I refer the member to the answers given to the following questions:

  S1W-14015 on 12 April 2001;

  S1W-14952 on 20 April 2001;

  S1W-21136 on 10 January 2002;

  S1W-21818 on 28 January 2002, and

  S1W-26322 on 7 June 2002.

Autism

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding has been allocated for the setting up of a national service network for children and adults with autistic spectrum disorders, as recommended in The same as you? .

Mr Frank McAveety: The Scottish Executive provided £16,400 for the mapping exercise which will inform the national service network for people with autistic spectrum disorders, recommended by The same as you? Decisions on funding have not yet been taken.

Autism

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received any proposals on the form of the national service network for children and adults with autistic spectrum disorders and what the remit of the network will be.

Mr Frank McAveety: The Scottish Society for Autism and the National Autistic Society were invited to submit proposals for the national service network which indicated clear outcomes for people with autistic spectrum disorders. They have submitted proposals which are presently being considered.

Autism

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will reach a decision on proposals for the national service network for children and adults with autistic spectrum disorders.

Mr Frank McAveety: Consideration of the proposals for the national service network for children and adults with autistic spectrum disorders is still under way, and we do not yet know when a decision will be reached.

Care of Elderly People

Alex Johnstone (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many additional places will need to be created in the elderly residential and care home sector over the next 10 years, given the expected increase in the number of people aged over 85, identified in the Fair Care for Older People - Care Development Group Report .

Alex Johnstone (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it plans to take in order to expand the elderly residential and care home sector in the light of the expected increase in the number of people aged over 85, identified in the Fair Care for Older People - Care Development Group Report .

Mr Frank McAveety: A review of the range and capacity of community care services for older people in Scotland over the next five, 10 and 15 years is currently under way. This will include a strategic review of care home provision, to identify the most effective way of developing and managing the market to meet the future needs of elderly people throughout Scotland.

  We are keen to see the correct range of services in place, to take account of future demographic changes and ensure that older people receive appropriate levels of care and are not delayed unnecessarily in hospital. We will carry out this work in partnership with health and local authority colleagues and in consultation with independent sector care home providers and intend this work to form the basis for longer term national and local planning of future developments.

Children and Young People

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive who the members of the National Action Group for Implementing Inclusiveness are.

Iain Gray: The members of the Beattie National Action Group are:

  Ed Weeple Head of Lifelong Learning Group, Scottish Executive (Chair)

  Maggi Allan Executive Director, Education Services, South Lanarkshire Council

  Christina Allon Director, Careers Scotland, Scottish Enterprise

  Alison Cox MBE National Co-ordinator and Centre Manager, The BRITE Initiative

  Norman Dunning Scottish Director, ENABLE

  Douglas Fergus Scottish Manager, CITB

  Anne Middleton Deputy Scottish Secretary, UNISON

  Fraser McCowan Managing Director, Argyll Training

  Morag McNeill Graduate teacher, young disabled person and former Student Out-reach Worker, Skill Scotland (National Bureau for Students with Disabilities)

  Des Ryan Director, Edinburgh Cyrenians

  Gordon Smith CBI Scotland

  Tom Watson Director, Fairbridge in Scotland

  Alastair Goudie Association of Scottish Colleges

  Morag Campbell Scottish Funding Council for Further and Higher Education

  Anne Marshall JobCentre Plus

  Marie Burns Scottish Enterprise

  Anne McDonald Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

Children and Young People

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has fulfilled the recommendations of the Beattie Report Implementing Inclusiveness Realising Potential , by developing a specification for psychological services for 16-24 year olds.

Iain Gray: This work is currently under way. Three National Development Officers (equivalent to one full-time post) have been charged with developing the specification by March 2004.

Children and Young People

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has developed a transition form for all young people in conjunction with Personal Learning Plans.

Iain Gray: The Scottish Executive Education Department is currently developing Personal Learning Plans (PLP) for the 3-18 age group. The PLP Framework will be designed to be relevant to all sectors of education so that different records at transition points are unnecessary.

  Careers Scotland are also undertaking a range of work to improve the transition process and will shortly be consulting on an assessment framework to improve the transfer of information between agencies and which builds on the work outlined in the Beattie Report.

Community Care

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Care Development Group last met.

Mr Frank McAveety: The Care Development Group has now disbanded. It met for the last time on 2 September 2001 to finalise its report, which was published on 14 September 2001.

Concessionary Travel

Rhona Brankin (Midlothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether preparations for the introduction of off-peak concessionary travel for older people are on schedule.

Lewis Macdonald: Yes. All local authorities are committed to provide, as a minimum, free local off-peak concessionary bus travel from 30 September 2002.

  I launched the first strand of the Executive’s publicity campaign on Tuesday of this week to ensure that elderly and disabled people who are eligible for concessionary travel are aware that these enhancements will soon be in place.

Crime Prevention

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-27324 by Dr Richard Simpson on 6 August 2002, whether it will place in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre the independent evaluations of the public space closed circuit television projects funded through the "Make Our Communities Safer" Challenge Competition.

Dr Richard Simpson: I will make arrangements to ensure that copies of the evaluations referred to in the answer to question S1W-27324 are placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre by the end of October.

Dentistry

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to undertake a review of NHS dental fees.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: No. NHS dental fees are reviewed annually by the independent Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration (DDRB).

Direct Payments Scotland

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that every local authority implements a direct payment scheme.

Mr Frank McAveety: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-28275 on 5 September 2002.

  Direct Payments Scotland will continue to work closely with local authorities and will monitor take up regularly. The Executive will continue to collect annual statistics to ensure that all local authorities are making direct payments available. Revised guidance will be issued by the Executive prior to 1 June 2003 to remind local authorities that from that date they have a duty to offer direct payments. We will also consider the need to repeat the research carried out in 2000, which would help determine whether the new legislation is being implemented fully.

Direct Payments Scotland

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has set up a National Action Group for Implementing Inclusiveness, as recommended in the Beattie Report Implementing Inclusiveness Realising Potential , and whether the group is now taking action in line with the detailed recommendations of the report.

Iain Gray: Yes. The National Action Group was set up in September 2000 to develop, implement and action the Beattie Report recommendations.

Direct Payments Scotland

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many local authorities currently run direct payment schemes.

Mr Frank McAveety: Latest figures published by Direct Payments Scotland show that 17 local authorities are currently making direct payments.

Direct Payments Scotland

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people in each local authority area (a) have already applied for and (b) are currently in receipt of direct payments.

Mr Frank McAveety: The Financial Provision and Direct Payments Survey is intended to cover all payments made by local authorities under section 12B of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968. The most recent survey covers the period 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2002 and results are due to be published on 25 September 2002. Statistics on the number of people who have applied for direct payments are not collected centrally.

  However, latest figures published by Direct Payments Scotland in its August Newsletter show that they are aware of 303 people who are receiving direct payments. The breakdown by local authority is as follows:

  


Aberdeen City 
  

4 
  



Aberdeenshire 
  

7 
  



Angus 
  

24 
  



Argyll and Bute 
  

2 
  



Clackmannanshire 
  

5 
  



Dumfries and Galloway 
  

8 
  



East Lothian 
  

5 
  



Edinburgh, City of 
  

67 
  



Fife 
  

88 
  



Glasgow City 
  

15 
  



Highland 
  

11 
  



North Lanarkshire 
  

10 
  



Perth and Kinross 
  

5 
  



Renfrewshire 
  

3 
  



Scottish Borders 
  

22 
  



South Ayrshire 
  

20 
  



West Lothian 
  

7 
  



Total 
  

303

Drug Misuse

Bill Aitken (Glasgow) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has a strategy to reduce the number of drug abusers who are currently reliant upon methadone.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: There is a wealth of national and international research evidence to support prescribing of methadone as a substitute for illegal opiate-based drugs. The duration and dosage of methadone prescriptions are matters for individual patients and their health professionals to determine. Guidance on substitute prescribing is included in our Drug Misuse and Dependence – Guidelines on Clinical Management .

  The Executive’s Effective Interventions Unit has also produced and disseminated a report Moving On, which provides information to service providers on effective ways to help recovering drug misusers into education, training and employment.

Enterprise

Mr John McAllion (Dundee East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what information technology seminars were sponsored by Scottish Enterprise and local enterprise companies in 2001; what companies were contracted by Scottish Enterprise to provide or part provide each such seminar, and what the contracting costs to Scottish Enterprise were in each case.

Iain Gray: This is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise.

Enterprise

Mr John McAllion (Dundee East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether non-executive directors of Scottish Enterprise and local enterprise companies are required to publish any financial interest in funding decisions by these bodies and, if so, where such information may be accessed by the public.

Iain Gray: All non-executive directors of Scottish Enterprise and Local Enterprise Companies must declare any financial interest in funding decisions. A register of interests is contained in the Annual Report and Accounts of those bodies. The Scottish Enterprise Annual Report and Accounts for 2001-02 were laid before Parliament on Monday 2 September.

  Where funding decisions are taken at board meetings, declarations of interest are recorded in the published minutes.

Enterprise

Mr John McAllion (Dundee East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what recent technical assessments have been conducted by Scottish Enterprise of (a) 3D digital scanning and (b) Virtual Reality Modelling Language with regard to its investment in 3D imaging.

Iain Gray: This is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise.

Enterprise

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many outlets owned by overseas companies operating in the fast food retail sector there were in each of the last 10 years.

Iain Gray: The following table shows the number of take-away food shop units, without restaurant, and take-away food mobile stands registered for VAT or PAYE:

  


Year 
  

Number 
  



1997 
  

2,610 
  



1998 
  

2,654 
  



1999 
  

2,677 
  



2000 
  

2,761 
  



2001 
  

2,755 
  



  Data for earlier years or data on the nationality of ownership are not available.

European Union

Colin Campbell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether and, if so, how, it plans to consult the Parliament and its committees on the draft opinion on More Democracy, Transparency and Efficiency in the European Union  which the First Minister presented to the meeting of the Commission for Constitutional Affairs and European Governance on 9 July 2002.

Peter Peacock: The final draft of the First Minister’s opinion was passed to the European Committee directly it was finalised on Tuesday 3 September. It will be discussed by the Constitutional Affairs and European Governance Commission of the Committee of the Regions on Friday 4 October and by the Committee in Plenary on 20 or 21 November.

European Union

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any funds are available from the European Union for the improvement of flood defences.

Allan Wilson: There are no specific funds available from the European Union for the improvement of flood defences.

Fisheries

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what proposals it has to develop the inshore fishing industry.

Ross Finnie: I hope we can improve management of our inshore fisheries through the review of the Common Fisheries Policy and dialogue in the Scottish Inshore Fisheries Advisory Group.

Fisheries

Mr Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made with the management of fishing of deepwater species.

Ross Finnie: I remain unhappy with the Council agreement on deep-water species. I promised the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation a letter to the Commission. That letter has now issued from Elliot Morley’s office asking the Commission to take into account the neglected views of the industry. We now expect the regulation to be adopted formally at a forthcoming Council, and will be consulting the industry shortly on management arrangements.

Foot-and-Mouth Disease

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will respond to the reports of the inquiries into the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak.

Ross Finnie: I wrote to the Convenor of the Rural Development Committee on 16 July to make the Committee aware of the publication of the first of the official GB Inquiries into foot-and-mouth disease and explaining that the Scottish Executive would respond collectively to the conclusions and recommendations from the Royal Society, Royal Society of Edinburgh and Dr Iain Anderson's Lessons to be Learned reports. I plan to let the committee have the Executive's detailed response to the three reports this autumn.

Genetically Modified Crops

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will make an announcement about new GM crop trials.

Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive announced on Monday 9 September that farm-scale trials at two sites in Scotland could proceed this autumn. This decision was taken after ministers received the strongest assurances possible, from the Scottish Agricultural Science Agency (SASA) and Central Science Laboratories (CSL), on the purity of the seed to be used.

Genetically Modified Crops

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when Aventis CropScience Ltd knew of impurities in oil seed rape in the field-scale trial of genetically modified organisms and who it subsequently informed.

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when and by whom it was informed of impurities in oil seed rape which was planted as part of the field scale trials of genetically modified organisms.

Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive is unable to confirm when Aventis CropScience first knew of impurities in their GM seed. However, Aventis formally notified the Scottish Executive of low levels of additional GM material in the oil seed rape seeds used in farm scale trials in a letter dated 2 August 2002. The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs was also notified at the same time.

  The text of the letter from Aventis notifying the Scottish Executive of the details of this incident was attached to the Executive’s News Release dated 15 August 2002.

Globalisation

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment has been made of the advantages and disadvantages of globalisation for the (a) economy, (b) promotion of Scottish culture and (c) turnout at local government and Scottish Parliament elections.

Iain Gray: For Scotland to thrive rather than simply survive in the rapidly evolving, knowledge driven, global economy we need to be more fully integrated within it: to be well connected physically, digitally and intellectually with the rest of the world. The Scottish Executive’s policy approach was articulated in Scotland: A Global Connections Strategy , which was published   last October. This makes it clear that the Executive wants to see Scotland recognised as the most globally connected small nation in Europe, capitalising fully on its existing diverse range of international linkages and seizing new opportunities.

  While the Executive has not undertaken a detailed assessment of the impact of globalisation on the promotion of Scottish culture, work undertaken by the UK Government and by Scottish Enterprise suggests that globalisation means that there are significant opportunities for the promotion of Scotland's creative and cultural industries.

  Scottish Parliamentary elections are a reserved matter. The Executive has made no assessment of the effects of globalisation on turnout at local government elections but the Electoral Commission is undertaking on-going research on voter engagement and education as part of its remit on electoral issues.

Health Promotion

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what resources are to be allocated to the healthy eating initiative.

Malcolm Chisholm: Resources for healthy eating in Scotland are allocated across a wide range of sectors and settings including the Food Standards Agency, the NHS, Health Education Board for Scotland, local government and the voluntary sector.

  Healthy Eating is a key element of the drive to improve the health of the people of Scotland. The National Healthy Eating Campaign will spearhead this drive and take forward the further implementation of the Scottish Diet Action Plan.

  The National Campaign will be supported by funding from the Scottish Diet Action Plan and will augment the Scottish Executive’s anticipated allocation of £1 million each year for implementation of this plan.

  Diet is also prioritised within the £26 million Health Improvement Fund and forms an important part of the £6 million National Health Demonstration Project, Have a Heart Paisley.

Health Promotion

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what efforts are being made to build on innovative healthy eating initiatives such as breakfast clubs and fruit programmes in schools.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive supports the development of breakfast clubs and fruit provision in schools in a number of ways.

  The Executive has created a £250,000 Breakfast Service Challenge Fund to expand services targeting vulnerable children and is reviewing current provision.

  One of the priorities identified for the Health Improvement Fund, which has allocated £26 million per annum towards improving public health until 2003-04, is improving the diet of children. This includes supporting the provision of breakfast clubs and fruit in nurseries and schools.

  The Scottish Community Diet Project has a specific remit to work with low-income communities and will receive funding of £1.2 million between 2002 and 2005. It supports a range of community food initiatives including breakfast clubs and recently published a Breakfast Club toolkit to assist organisations wishing to set up a breakfast club.

  Childcare Strategy funding (£16.75 million in 2002-03) is allocated to local authorities who, with Childcare Partnerships, make decisions on its disbursement to meet local childcare needs. The Executive has allocated an additional £8 million to local authorities as part of the Childcare Strategy funding over 2001-04 to help support and stabilise fragile out of school care provision, including breakfast clubs.

  New Community Schools have the twin aims of promoting social inclusion and raising educational standards in Scotland. Many New Community Schools have been involved in setting up breakfast clubs where there is perceived need.

Health Promotion

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what lessons can be learned from Finland to improve the Scottish diet.

Malcolm Chisholm: There is a long-standing agreement between Scotland and Finland to exchange information on medicine and public health. The Executive is therefore aware of Finnish initiatives to improve healthy eating, such as the diet component of the North Karelia Project. The Scottish Berry Project was informed by the experience of this project.

Health Promotion

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what timescale will be set for improving the Scottish diet.

Malcolm Chisholm: Implementation of the Scottish Diet Action Plan began in 1996. The plan set dietary targets for 2005. The recently announced National Healthy Eating Campaign takes forward the Scottish Diet Action Plan in a renewed and focused effort to meet the dietary targets with a particular focus on increasing consumption of fruit and vegetables and decreasing fat intake. The campaign is an integral part of the Step Change agenda to improve Scotland's health.

Health Promotion

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will monitor progress on healthy eating.

Malcolm Chisholm: We are taking advice on formation of an expert advisory grouping to discuss evaluation of the National Healthy Eating Campaign, as well as the wider Scottish Diet Action Plan.

Housing

Dr Sylvia Jackson (Stirling) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to introduce further measures to assist key public sector workers to gain access to the housing market in pressured rural areas.

Ms Margaret Curran: The answer to questions S1W-28144 and S1W-28145 on 29 August 2002, set out a number of initiatives which are helping to increase the supply of affordable housing in rural areas. Individual projects may sometimes provide housing specifically for essential workers, such as a teacher, in very small communities. However, the Scottish Executive has no plans to introduce any general measures targeted on public sector workers.

Legislation

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-27519 by Patricia Ferguson on 8 August 2002, where a statute imposes a duty on a minister to make a statement concerning the identity of a person to whom entitled rights and official authority have been transferred, and that identity must include the identity of any principal shareholders on that date, whether this form of statutory statement must bear a subscription, the name of the subscriber and the date of the subscription, to be in lawful order.

Patricia Ferguson: Where a statute imposes a duty on a minister to make a statement concerning the identity of a person to whom entitled rights and official authority have been transferred, the issue of whether this form of statutory statement must be subscribed would be determined by reference to the terms and context of the statutory provision in question.

NHS Waiting Lists

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in cutting NHS waiting lists.

Malcolm Chisholm: I have already announced that reducing waiting times is our key priority because waiting times are important to the public and less waiting can improve the quality of clinical care.

  We have already set a maximum six month waiting time for in-patient and day case treatment by 2005 and specific targets for cancer and heart disease. Earlier today we announced a maximum wait of six months for a first out-patient appointment by 2006. The National Waiting Times Unit is working with NHSScotland to help ensure that these targets are delivered.

Planning

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what existing laws and regulations govern allotments and their use and whether it has any plans to review them.

Peter Peacock: The relevant legislation governing allotments is the Allotments (Scotland) Acts 1892, 1922 and 1950. Sections 23–27 of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1959 and sections 73 and 74 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 are also relevant.

  The Local Government Committee is currently holding an inquiry into the provision and management of allotments and we will consider its findings once these are completed.

Police

Dennis Canavan (Falkirk West): To ask the Scottish Executive what consultations it has had with the police about the possible use of baton rounds.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland approached the Executive in August 2001 about proposals to acquire baton guns and rounds as an alternative and less lethal option to firearms in dealing with firearms incidents. The proposals made clear there was no intention to use baton guns to deal with incidents of public disorder in Scotland. On that basis, the Executive supported the decision to purchase baton guns, while recognising that it was an operational matter for Chief Constables to determine the appropriate response to any firearms incident in the light of circumstances in each case.

Prison Service

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish its contract with Medacs for provision of medical services in prisons, subject to deletion of matters that are commercially confidential, giving the reasons for its position on this matter.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-28224 on 2 September 2002.

Public Services

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any concerns regarding the provision of public services in the Scottish Borders.

Peter Peacock: Public Services in the Scottish Borders are subject to scrutiny through inspection and audit and other performance review mechanisms.

  The Executive has not been invited to date to take any actions with regard to any public service failures but will consider any recommendations it receives as a result of statutory review processes.

Roads

Alex Fergusson (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to the report of the Performance Audit Group on the performance of Amey Highways Ltd.

Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive welcomes the generally positive findings of the detailed report by the Performance Audit Group on the performance of the trunk road Operating Companies, including Amey Highways. The report makes it clear that shortfalls are being addressed and either have already been resolved or are being actively progressed.

Schools

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will report on primary class size numbers as of August 2002.

Nicol Stephen: Information on primary class sizes is collected in September of each year as part of the School Census.

  As set out under the National Statistics Code of Practice, results from the September 2002 School Census will be published as soon as rigorous validation procedures have been carried out on the data to ensure that the statistics are accurate, reliable and fit for purpose.

  The Scottish Executive currently plan to publish the results of the September 2002 School Census in spring 2003.

Schools

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what benefits Eco-schools will bring.

Cathy Jamieson: The Eco-schools programme will give young people in Scotland the opportunity to learn about sustainable development, to put it into practice in their local environment and to share their ideas and experiences with other young people around the world.

  As the First Minister explained in answer to Rhona Brankin’s question on 4 September, I will shortly submit a report on the development of the Eco-schools programme in Scotland to the Parliament’s Reference Centre.

Voluntary Sector

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to continue the funding of Facilitate Scotland and what the reason is for its position on this matter.

Malcolm Chisholm: Facilitate (Scotland) is not currently funded by the Scottish Executive.

Voluntary Sector

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to fund any other facility which carries out similar support and work as Facilitate Scotland and, if so, what it will be called, where it will be located, what national coverage it will have and how much its funding package will be.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive has no such plans at present.

  Any voluntary organisation may submit an application to the Scottish Executive for funding under section 10 of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 or section 16B of the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1978.

Voluntary Sector

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive which organisations and projects it currently funds that offer services similar to those offered by Facilitate Scotland and where they are located.

Malcolm Chisholm: In addition to services provided by the NHS and local authorities, the Executive continues to provide core funding to a range of voluntary organisations, which offer advice, care and information to those with mental health problems.

  Overall, £1.2 million will be provided for 2002-03 under the section 10 and section 16B grant schemes to voluntary bodies in the mental health field. A further £19 million will be disbursed through Mental Illness Specific Grant which goes via local authorities to 400 small scale projects at local level throughout Scotland. These projects provide a range of support, including drop-in centres, day services, counselling services, information and advice, education and employment schemes, advocacy and befriending services.

Waste Management

Nora Radcliffe (Gordon) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made on drawing together the national waste strategy.

Ross Finnie: I am pleased to say that implementation of the National Waste Strategy is progressing well. All 11 draft Area Waste Plans have been published for public consultation. I intend to publish, shortly, a summary report on the work to check that the plans are consistent, will achieve Scotland’s overall targets and identify potential economies of scale. The next step will be to finalise the area plans around the end of the year and publish an overall National Waste Plan.

Waste Management

David McLetchie (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken, or intends to take, and over what timescale, on the conclusions and recommendations of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency report Strategic Review of Organic Waste Spread on Land .

Ross Finnie: Following the publication of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency’s (SEPA) report, Strategic Review of Organic Waste Spread on Land , the then Scottish Office carried out a public consultation on its recommendations. I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-12162 on 22 December 2000, in which the then Minister for the Environment formally responded to the report.

  SEPA’s recommendations in the report were considered further in the context of the Transport and the Environment Committee’s report on Petition PE327 by the Blairingone and Saline Action Group on Organic Waste Spread on Land. The Executive responded to the Transport and the Environment Committee’s report in May 2002 detailing the progress already made on this issue and proposals for further action on a number of points. The full text of this response can be found listed under TE/02/22/12 at: www.scottish.parliament.uk/official_report/cttee/trans-02/trp02-22.pdf

  A key element of our proposals is amendments to the Waste Management Licensing Regulations exemptions to tighten up controls surrounding this practice. We intend to issue a consultation paper on this in late autumn.

Wildlife

Alex Fergusson (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what method will be employed to remove hedgehogs from Uist and Benbecula; what professional or consultant’s advice has been sought, and from whom, and when, Scottish Natural Heritage has sought advice on the predation problems caused by hedgehogs.

Allan Wilson: No decision has been made on whether or how hedgehogs might be removed from the Uists and Benbecula, although action is required to address the serious threat to the internationally important population of ground nesting wading birds on these islands. Research conducted by the RSPB over the past seven years has clearly demonstrated the serious decline in these birds due to predation by hedgehogs.

  The published research on methodology which Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) has considered is noted below. Additional advice has been given by RSPB Scotland.

  SNH has undertaken wide consultation with academics and animal welfare groups through the Uist Wader Project, a partnership between SNH, Scottish Executive and RSPB Scotland. During September 2002, SNH are discussing methods of controlling the hedgehog population on the Uists and Benbecula with a wide range of conservation and animal welfare organisations prior to reaching final conclusions.

  Research sources:

  Doncaster CP (1994). Factors regulating local variations in abundance: field tests on hedgehogs.

  Morris PA (1998). Hedgehog rehabilitation in perspective.

  Reeve NJ (1998). Survival and welfare of hedgehogs after release back into the wild.

  Jackson DB and Green RE (2000). The importance of the introduced hedgehog as a predator of the eggs of waders on machair in South Uist, Scotland.

  Reeve, N.J. and Bristow, S. (2001). Feasibility study on a small-scale translocation of hedgehogs from the Uists to mainland Scotland: a non-lethal alternative to humane killing to achieve hedgehog population reduction.

Young Offenders

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it or any of its agencies are providing any financial guarantees to Airborne Initiative (Scotland) Ltd in connection with the acquisition of Braidwood House, Lanarkshire.

Dr Richard Simpson: The Scottish Executive has not provided any financial guarantees to the Airborne Initiative (Scotland) Ltd in respect of the purchase of Braidwood House. Whilst the Executive is providing a three-year funding package towards the organisation’s annual running costs for the period to 31 March 2004, no public monies have been made available or offered by the Executive towards the capital costs incurred by Airborne in relocating from its current site at Abington.

Young Offenders

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many offenders it has placed with Airborne Initiative (Scotland) Ltd and what the cost has been in (a) each of the last three years and (b) the current year.

Dr Richard Simpson: The Executive does not place offenders with the Airborne Initiative (Scotland) Ltd. The courts have the option of imposing an additional specific condition to attend the Airborne programme, as part of a probation order. Since January 1998 to date, there have been 495 offender placements, with 51 participants so far this calendar year.

  In the financial years 1999-2000 and 2000-01, £471,500 and £483,286 respectively was allocated in direct grant, through South Lanarkshire Council, to fund placements with Airborne. Following an independent evaluation published in June 2000, changes were made to these funding arrangements from the 2001-02 financial year. In 2001-02, £300,000 was allocated to South Lanarkshire Council in respect of the direct grant for Airborne. In addition, all local authorities received a ring fenced grant allocation from the Executive to purchase places on the Airborne programme and similar courses provided by the Fairbridge Venture Trust. The total sum made available to the local authorities for this purpose in 2001-02 amounted to £278,545. In the current financial year, South Lanarkshire received an allocation of £206,000 for the direct grant for Airborne and local authorities a total allocation of £404,573 to purchase places from Airborne and the Fairbridge Venture Trust.

Young Offenders

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many convictions offenders placed with Airborne Initiative (Scotland) Ltd have had in (a) each of the last three years and (b) the current year and what the nature of the convictions were.

Dr Richard Simpson: The information requested is not collected on a routine basis by the Scottish Executive. However, an independent evaluation by Stirling University commissioned by the Executive and published in June 2000 suggested that the average programme participant had 10.5 previous convictions and had served, on average, 3.0 previous custodial sentences. The research indicated that the principal offences for which offenders were referred to Airborne were dishonesty (50% of referrals), violence including common assault (23%) and breach of a previous court order (10%).

Young Offenders

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many offenders placed with Airborne Initiative (Scotland) Ltd (a) failed to complete their placement and (b) reoffended since completing their placement in (i) each of the last three years and (ii) the current year.

Dr Richard Simpson: Since January 1998, there have been 495 participants on the Airborne programme of whom 321, or 65%, have successfully completed the programme. The remaining 174 participants failed to complete for a variety of reasons.

  The information requested on re-offending rates is not collected on a routine basis. However, an independent evaluation carried out by Stirling University and published in June 2000 indicated that reconviction rates were significantly lower among those who completed the Airborne programme compared with those who failed to complete and amongst a comparison group, who received alternative disposals. The evaluation found that 64% of Airborne completers had been reconvicted within 12 months compared with 95% of non-completers and 77% of comparison group cases. The evaluation also indicated that Airborne participants were slower to be re-convicted and that participation in Airborne significantly increased an offender’s likelihood of remaining free of further convictions.

Young Offenders

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether Braidwood House, Lanarkshire is a suitable location for Airborne Initiative (Scotland) Ltd to house offenders and what discussions it has had with (a) the company and (b) South Lanarkshire Council on this issue.

Dr Richard Simpson: The Scottish Executive has been aware for some time of the organisation’s desire to find an alternative location and premises to its current site at Abington. As a voluntary sector organisation, decisions on the most suitable site for its operations are essentially matters for Airborne Initiative (Scotland) Ltd. The Executive was, however, made aware by the organisation of its intention to purchase Braidwood House and there have been a number of informal discussions on the issue in recent weeks. I myself paid a visit to the organisation’s current site at Abington on 19 August when the subject of the move to Braidwood was discussed. The issue has also been discussed on an informal basis between officials of the Scottish Executive and South Lanarkshire Council in its role as the local planning authority and managing authority for the organisation.